Lullaby for a Stormy Night
by Shadowheart17
Summary: Superfamily: A terrible storm hits the Superfamily's Malibu home and Peter is too scared to sleep. The Superhusbands must find a way to put Peter to bed before the morning comes; however, they discover it is easier said than done.


Hello! This is my first go at a superfamily fic, written as a collab for a friend :) Thank you again for all the favs/author watches for my Teen!Avengers fics. I'll be updating that soon. Reviews are always appreciated! Enjoy~

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Today was the day that Tony Stark thought he would finally be getting a full nights sleep. He had been working on a couple new concepts for the Iron Man suit, but after JARVIS informed him of the possibility of a severe thunderstorm, he decided it was too risky and put the toys away. He could afford take a night off anyways.

Besides, it was about time he attended a meal with his family. Steve was pleasantly surprised to see his husband up from the lab for dinner, and greeted him with a kiss.

"Smells good, hon. Spaghetti?" Tony asked, peeking around Steve to try and get a glimpse of the kitchen. Steve gripped Tony's shoulders and gently led him away towards the living room.

"Peter's in his play-pen, can you get him? Dinner's ready," the blond asked, grabbing plates and silverware, arranging them perfectly on the table. Tony rolled his eyes at Steve's housewife-like demeanor and wandered into the living room, where their three and a half year old son was sitting and watching cartoons in his fenced-in play area, captivated. However, when he heard Tony approach, Peter stood up and waddled over to the edge, smiling brightly.

"Daddy! Daddy, look! Iron Man shot da bad guys 'n dey crash 'n isploded!" Peter yelled, pointing at the screen and laughing deviously. Tony pretended to be amazed as he picked Peter up, lifting him up high over his head just like he loved. The toddler giggled and stuck his arms and legs out, pretending to fly around like a superhero as Tony paraded around the living room making exploding noises.

"You did it, champ! You defeated the bad guys! Iron Man would be so jealous of you," Tony announced, lowering Peter back down to the ground. The toddler smiled proudly and ran off to the kitchen to tell Steve all about it. Tony watched him go, smiling at how innocent and adorable their son was and how lucky he was to have such a great family.

Upon entering the dining room, Tony was greeted with a glob of noodles to the face and the roaring laughter of his son.

"Peter! It's not nice to throw things," Steve scolded, picking the noodles off of Tony as the brunet sat down.

"But I'm Spider-Man! I can…frow web and catch da bad guys!" Peter declared, and the look of joy and determination on his face made Steve break his stern attitude and smile.

"Okay Spider-Man, it's time for dinner. You'll have plenty of strength to catch the bad guys if you eat," the blond said, taking a seat next between his husband and his son. Tony picked up his fork and stabbed a meatball, absently staring off as he chewed on the delicious meat. Steve watched Peter stuff his face, smearing spaghetti sauce all over his cheeks and nose, earning a laugh from the super-soldier.

"Looks like a storm is on the way," Steve commented as he wiped his son's face. The sky outside was unusually dark for the time of summer evening. Black clouds were sweeping in swiftly, masking the sun and bathing the land in shadows. The wind was starting to pick up, thrashing the tree branches around.

"J told me there was a severe thunderstorm warning," Tony replied quietly, hoping Peter didn't hear. "He'll warn us if anything really dangerous is coming."

Steve nodded and returned to his food with a content smile, completely confident in Tony and JARVIS. The rest of the meal passed in virtual silence, though that didn't stop the two superheroes from communicating silently. Tony held Steve's hand on the table, softly caressing the arc-reactor inspired ring on his finger as they watched Peter make an absolute mess of himself with dinner. Only after his face was almost completely covered in tomato sauce did Steve declare dinner finished and took the plates into the kitchen.

"J, run a bath, would you?" Tony asked the cyber-butler absently as he pulled out his phone and snapped a quick picture of Peter.

"Yes sir, but I would advise keeping it short. The conditions are getting worse as we speak."

Tony frowned at the window for a moment before unfastening Peter's bib and scooping him up, wiping his pudgy face with a napkin.

"No daddy, stop!" Peter wailed, smacking Tony's hands away and writhing about. Deciding to play along, the billionaire stopped.

"Alright champ. But I thought Superheroes were supposed to look nice and strong and heroic! Can you imagine if Captain America went around fighting bad guys with spaghetti sauce all over his face? Not very hero-like, right?" He asked, setting the napkin down and glancing at Steve with a smirk. "But I guess you know best, I mean-"

"Nooo! Clean, _clean!_" Peter stopped flailing, his eyes wide with horror at the thought of being un-hero-like.

"Clean what?" Tony teased, playing dumb. Steve came back, amusement written on his face. Tony held Peter out, the child flat on his back as he pouted at his fathers.

"Clean…the belly?" Steve guessed, yanking his son's shirt up and blowing on his belly, making loud and immature farting noises. Peter screamed and laughed, wiggling violently to try and escape, but to no avail. Tony was laughing now too, and allowed Steve to take Peter after a few more moments of laughing and wiggling.

"Alright, alright, let's go get cleaned up and ready for bed," Steve chortled, hugging Peter close. The toddler looked tiny in the Captain's strong arms, but it was too cute for Tony not to snap another picture before leaning in close to his husband, smirking.

"You've got something on your face," he hummed, touching their foreheads together lightly. Steve leaned down a little so Tony didn't have to stand on his tip-toes.

"What is i-" Steve began, before his lips were captured in a chaste kiss. Peter groaned loudly and covered his eyes, but neither of them were paying attention. When Tony pulled back, Steve was smiling tenderly.

"It's me," Tony answered the unfinished question, making the blond laugh and shake his head, tossing "You're ridiculous, Anthony Stark" over his shoulder as he went to give Peter a bath.

Tony smiled at his retreating husband's back before he settled down to draw up more blueprints for the latest Iron Man suits, oblivious to the faint sound of thunder in the distance.

After Peter's bath, the three settled in the living room to watch television and unwind. Admittedly, Tony and Steve were trying to get Peter to go to sleep, so _maybe _he would snooze right through the storm and give Tony a chance at a full nights sleep. The brunet kept tabs on the approaching storm as the television lulled Peter to sleep.

By the time nine o'clock rolled around, Peter was asleep on the floor, holding his Iron Man and Captain America figurines in each hand. Tony was almost asleep as well, the mindless shows that Steve enjoyed numbing his mind. But he dragged himself off the couch when Steve got up and gently lifted Peter off the ground and into his arms. The toddler stirred and opened his eyes a little, only half-awake.

"Time for bed, Champ," Steve murmured, stroking Peter's back softly as they made their way to his bedroom. Peter buried his face against his father's neck, content for once to go to sleep at the correct time. Tony was forever grateful to whatever god had made it so.

When Steve laid Peter down, the child began to whimper half-heartedly. Steve shushed him and stroked his hair softly, glancing at Tony with worry in his eyes. The billionaire shrugged; they both knew that Peter didn't like his new bed, having taken the transition from the crib pretty hard, but he had slowly been getting better. After a few minutes of gentle reassurance, Peter was once again asleep, curled up underneath his Avengers blanket. The parents snuck out quietly.

"I think he's almost there, Tony," Steve said cheerfully as they walked down the hall to their room.

"He's tough, and it's just a phase. Soon he'll be wanting a car, a girlfriend-"Tony began jokingly, only to be cut off by Steve, who shoved him gently.

"Tony! Don't say that, he's only three!" Steve begged. "Don't make him grow up faster than he already is."

Tony saw the worry and sorrow on his husband's face, and stood up on his tip-toes to kiss the blonde's forehead.

"He'll always be a baby to us, Cap," Tony murmured, grabbing and squeezing Steve's hand reassuringly. Steve sighed and smiled a tired smile.

"I know…I just worry a lot, that's all."

"Tell me something I don't know," Tony teased, leading his husband into the bedroom. Steve rolled his eyes, but didn't try to argue. Instead, he used that energy to rid himself of his work clothes and slip into something more comfortable. By the time he was done, Tony had already changed and crawled under the covers, almost asleep. Steve admired the peaceful scene for a few seconds before turning off the light and joining his lover.

Only when Steve wrapped his arms around him, and buried his face against the brunet's neck, did Tony finally fall asleep.

Around 1 AM, the first boom of lightning shook the house. Neither Steve nor Tony woke up until a thin wail started up down the hall and gradually got louder as Peter ran as fast as he could to his parent's room, frightened nearly to death. The parents sat up instantly, their bodies reacting faster than their minds. The door flew open and Peter, guided by Tony's arc reactor light, jumped onto the bed and dug his way under the covers, still wailing and crying. Steve cradles Peter immediately, whispering hushed encouragement in his ear and rocking back and forth slowly. Tony rubbed his son's back, still barely conscious enough to do even that.

"Hey, Pete, it's alright," Steve murmured. "It's just a little thunder and lightning."

"Yeah, remember Uncle Thor? He's just beating up some bad guys up there," Tony added, stifling a yawn. Peter continued to wail and cry as the thunder boomed overhead, vibrating the house faintly. Tony sighed and grabbed the tablet on his bedside table, rubbing his eyes as the bright light assaulted them suddenly. The television on the wall opposite the bed lit up and the brunet selected one of the many seasons of pokemon to watch. He turned the volume up extra loud to hopefully try and block out the thunder.

"Look Peter, it's po-key-mon," Tony nearly shouted over the opening song of the show. Peter opened his eyes, his cries quieting down as the show finally started. Steve and Tony had watched so much Pokemon lately that they pretty much had the opening theme and the pokerap memorized; though they didn't have the faintest idea what any of those things were.

"Look, that Pika…chu…thing… casts lightning, just like Uncle Thor! Are you scared of that thing too?" Steve asked, and Peter shook his head, rubbing the snot away from his nose onto his sleeve. Tony cringed, but didn't say anything. _As long as he doesn't rub it on the blanket,_ he thought.

After an hour and a half, despite the booming volume of the cartoon, Steve and Tony were almost asleep once more. But of course, the gods weren't favoring them; during the two second intermission, a crack of thunder sounded overhead, so powerful that it rattled the windows. As if on cue, Peter picked up right where he left off at, wailing and hiding under the covers. Steve and Tony stared at each other helplessly.

"The volume doesn't go any louder," Tony muttered, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "So we'll just have to go down."

"The lab?" Steve guessed, unearthing Peter from his blanket armor.

"The lab," Tony confirmed, hopping out of bed. "I'll grab the little fence thing and some toys. He'll probably tire himself out pretty quick."

Steve murmured his agreement and scooped Peter up, wrapping their quilt around him and cradling him against his chest. The toddler buried his face in his father's strong chest, seemingly a little reassured by the contact. Tony, despite his fatigue, still managed a huge, dopey grin at the image. Steve smiled back, the entire situation ridiculous, frustrating, hilarious and tiring all at once.

They hurried to the living room and Steve went straight down to the lab, leaving Tony alone in the dark. For a few seconds, he entertained the idea of laying on the couch and sleeping for a few minutes, but he knew that was out of the question; if he fell asleep again, he wouldn't wake up until morning and Steve would be less than pleased. So he yawned, stretched, and gathered up a few of the action figures lying around (making double sure the Iron Man and Captain America ones were together with a less than pure smirk). Lastly, he wrestled with the play-fence and managed to get it into a less-than-elegant fold.

After a very life-threatening trip down the stairs, Tony finally managed to carry everything safely to the lab. He keyed in the password and shouldered his way through the door, opening his mouth to complain when a soft tune hit his ears. The brunet froze and watched Steve rock Peter back and forth, crooning a lullaby. Though the blond was not a singer by any means, the song still sounded absolutely beautiful to Tony, who set everything down silently and stood in the doorway, just listening.

After a few verses, Steve finally turned around and noticed Tony. The blonde's face turned red immediately and he faltered, startling Peter back awake. Tony blinked innocently, pretending he hadn't been standing there for pretty much the whole song.

"Who knew singing was yet another talent for Steve Rogers?" Tony asked coolly, grabbing the fence and working on untangling it.

"I…heard the song a few days ago and I just thought…well, I don't know," Steve admitted, facing Tony boldly. The brunet smirked, nodding in understanding.

"Sure, sure…help me with this, will you?"

Steve set Peter down and fixed the play fence, setting it up in a clear area that Peter couldn't get access to any sharp objects in. They placed said toddler in the play area with his toys, relieved when he seemed effectively distracted.

"There. Should be asleep by…three," Tony guessed, glancing at the clock with a sinking feeling in his gut. They had already been awake for two hours into the ungodly morning; they'd be lucky if they got enough sleep for the rest of the work day. Ignoring that thought, Tony took a seat at his work bench and opened up his latest blueprints for the Iron Man suit. Steve sat nearby, sketching absently on a piece of scratch paper.

Finally, after an hour and still no sleeping Peter, Tony and Steve had reached the end of their rope. Cap was practically asleep at his station, a bit of charcoal smeared on his cheek from where it rested on the paper. Tony was beginning to make stupid mistakes in his calculations and forced himself to give up. Peter was still running around, determined to beat all the imaginary bad guys.

"Steve…hey, Steve," Tony slurred, looking around for something to throw at his husband. He finally settled for a violently gnawed on pencil, lamely tossing it in Steve's direction. It hit him on the shoulder and the blond immediately jumped up, kicking the chair back against the wall roughly.

"Wha-? Tony? Is everything okay?" He demanded, looking around for danger. Tony threw his hands in the air, flailing around a bit.

"Slow down Cap, it was just me!" He explained, laughing when Steve groaned and flopped back down into his seat, face hidden in his hands.

"I just want to go to bed, Tony," Steve admitted, rubbing his temples.

"I know big guy, I do too…" Tony replied tiredly, stretching in a failed attempt to wake himself up a bit. "What's the weather like, J?"

"I would not advise putting the boy to bed. I'm afraid my systems will be short-circuited due to the excessive lightning."

Almost as if on cue, the lights began to flicker and Jarvis' voice began to fuzz out. Steve gave Tony "that look"; the look he gave the brunet when his tech failed him for some reason or another. But Tony would not be outdone. He snapped his fingers and typed a few things up on the keyboard.

"J, activate emergency backup power," he ordered.

"No, wait. I have an idea," Steve said suddenly, stopping Tony in his tracks. The blond stood up and headed for the door, casting "I'll be right back" over his shoulder before disappearing upstairs. Tony watched him go, then turned his attention back to Peter, who didn't seem fazed by the flickering lights.

Steve returned, carrying several blankets, pillows and a bag of something Tony couldn't see. The blond set his stuff down and began rearranging the chairs and stools that were sitting around the workshop. Then he picked up the blankets and began draping them over his makeshift structure. Finally, he made a little entrance and threw the rest of the blankets inside, along with the pillows and a small lap.

"There! The perfect fort," Steve commented, moving to pick Peter up out of his pen. Tony eyed the structure with a hint of confusion, but didn't question the Cap's actions; he was too tired for that. Instead, he dragged himself out of his seat and stumbled over to the fort, crawling inside and slumping against the pillows with a groan of joy.

Peter crawled in after Tony, followed by Steve and the blond manhandled Tony to the side so they could arrange the pillows and blankets. The brunet hardly responded when Steve wrapped himself around Tony, forcing him to sit up. He could hardly complain though when the Captain wrapped their warm comforter around them and snuggled in close. Tony leaned against his chest and rested his head on the broad shoulder behind him.

"Snuggle up, Peter! I brought you some milk and a snack," Steve said, turning on the lamp and reaching into the bag to pull out a sippy cup full of milk and a plate full of banana slices. "Now be a good boy and settle down, okay? Daddy is very tired and it's way past your bedtime."

Peter crawled under his thick Avengers blanket and listened to Steve tell old stories about his childhood, his best friend Bucky, and eventually began to talk about Captain America and Iron Man, "making up" stories as he went along. Before long, most of the milk and banana slices were gone, and Peter could barely keep his eyes open. Tony had been asleep for quite some time, settled neatly against Steve, gently snoring and occasionally grasping Steve's hand that rested above his own.

"…And that's how the Avengers saved New York," Steve finished quietly, smiling when Peter didn't ask for another story; he was finally asleep. The blond silently cheered himself for his victory and gently moved Tony so he was laying down against the pillows, not fazed by the movement at all. Steve then picked Peter up, keeping the blanket well wrapped against him, and quietly made his way upstairs. The rain was still pouring, but the thunder finally seemed to have moved on. The wall clock read 5:30 AM as they passed it, moving on down to Peter's room. There, Steve gently laid Peter down and crept out of the room, silently cheering even more when the boy didn't wake up.

Steve made his way back down to the lab, worried when he saw a semi-frantic movement in the fort. He quickly keyed in the password and barged in, confused when Tony's head popped out of the entrance. He looked frazzled and confused, as if he still wasn't quite awake.

"Steve? Where's Peter?" He asked groggily, blinking stupidly in the dim light. Steve beamed proudly.

"Asleep, Tony. Like you should be," he replied.

"Yeah, well…hard to sleep when you aren't here," Tony mumbled, turning off the lamp and dragging himself out of the fortress. Steve offered him a hand and pulled him to his feet, dragging the comforter out with him. The genius smiled sleepily and stood on his tip-toes to plant a kiss rather clumsily on Steve's cheek.

"You did it, sweetheart. Now at least we can get…two hours of sleep before we're expected in today, eh?"

"Let's just take a day. I'll have Jarvis keep the phones off until later. How does that sound?" Steve murmured gently, kissing Tony's forehead. "Come on, let's get you to bed."

Tony didn't argue when Steve picked him up bridal style and carried him back up to their room. He was already almost asleep again by the time Steve laid him down, crawled in to bed beside him, threw the blanket over them, and wrapped himself around Tony's small frame.

"G'night Stebe…" Tony slurred, snuggling back against the Captain and almost immediately falling asleep. Steve buried his face against Tony's neck, placing a kiss there and whispering: "Good night, Tony."

It was the best sleep Tony'd had in years.


End file.
